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When the Seattle Seahawks take the field against the New England Patriots on Sunday, it will be their fourth Super Bowl appearance.
The franchise’s first appearance came in 2006 in Super Bowl XL, when quarterback Matt Hasselbeck led them to a 13-3 record in the regular season. However, the Seahawks’ first trip to the big game didn’t go as they hoped, losing 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In that game, Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 49 passes for 273 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In a recent interview with Pakinomist Digital, the 50-year-old said there is only one thing he would have done differently.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback (8) Matt Hasselbeck warms up before Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 2006. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006)
“I don’t think there’s anything I would have done differently other than maybe not lose my composure. There were a couple of calls in the game that didn’t go our way and I lost my head on the referee and hadn’t regained my composure when the 40-second clock had, you know, it was time to snap the next play with Pakinomist,” Hasselbeck said in a recent interview with Pakinomist.
“So, I threw an interception on that play that I’m talking about, and then I made the tackle on that interception, and then I got flagged again for making the tackle, which, you know, that’s a whole (different thing), I got even more upset.”
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on January 16, 2011. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The three-time Pro Bowler said he learned the lesson of just taking things at a time. That lesson from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl loss helped him not only as an athlete, but also as a father.
“If there’s something going on in your mind (that’s) ridiculous, move on. And so I think that’s something that’s definitely helped me as an athlete, it’s helped me as a father. You know, you get in the car, my kids would tell you, you get in the car after a sporting event with me, you can’t talk about the referees, but you can’t talk about what needs to be talked about. Officials don’t, and that’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way, Hasselbeck said.
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Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck greets fans before the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington on January 25, 2026. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
While the Seahawks did not win Super Bowl XL, they returned to the Super Bowl in the 2013 season, beating the Denver Broncos 43-8 to capture the franchise’s first-ever title. They made the Super Bowl the following season, against the Patriots, but lost 28–24 when Russell Wilson was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler to seal the loss.
Now, the latest iteration of the Seahawks hopes to bring the franchise’s record in Super Bowls to .500 and get revenge on the Patriots for that heartbreaking defeat over 11 years ago.
The Seahawks play the Patriots at 6:30 PM ET on Sunday.
